


Home (is Where the Heart Is)

by MachineryField



Series: Xenoblade but its modern and quite mundane [3]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28400349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField
Summary: Egil is seven and Alvis five when the latter begins to spend days at the former’s home.
Relationships: Alvis & Egil (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Series: Xenoblade but its modern and quite mundane [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078421
Kudos: 6





	Home (is Where the Heart Is)

Egil is seven and Alvis five when the latter begins to spend days at the former’s home. Egil doesn’t know much about him, past the fact Alvis is the child of Doctor O’Brien, whom he looks up to very much. One day his father just let him in, and after that, Alvis became a normal part of life.

Egil gets used to him watching television next to him, or reading over his shoulder. Alvis is always so quiet when doing any of it, that sometimes it feels more like there’s a ghost instead of another kid over. Egil doesn’t really mind, though. He and Vanea talk enough for the three of them.

He glances at Alvis, curled up in the corner of the couch while a scary movie plays on the television. He looks calm, almost happy… It’s different than when Egil visits Doctor O’Brien. He always seems stressed at home…

When your dad is someone like Klaus, though, Egil can see why. Klaus is mean and violent, and he’s still hiding a bruise from when the man pushed him onto the ground for getting in his way. He can’t imagine what it’s like for people actually living with him.

Thinking about that, he scooches a little closer, now sitting in the middle of the couch -- Vanea will yell at him for stealing her spot, but that’s fine. “Are you okay, Alvis?”

Alvis looks at him, eyes widening as if he wasn’t expecting that question. “...I’m okay.”

Even at such a young age, Egil doesn’t buy that, but he knows Alvis is stubborn. So he changes his approach. “Want to stay over for the night?”

“Can I…?”

Egil nods. “My dad will say yes if I ask him.”

Alvis seems to pause, but nods soon enough. “Okay, I’ll go call my mum.”

That was the first moment Egil thinks he actually saw Alvis give such a direct response.

\--

“Egil.” Egil is now ten and Alvis eight when the latter wakes up the former in the middle of the night. “I can’t sleep.”

Egil rubs his eyes and scoots over, patting the spot next to him, despite his next words. “You’re a big boy now, Alvis. You don’t need to sleep in my bed with me.”

Alvis climbs in next to him and curls up close. “I’m not used to sleeping on my own. When I’m home I sleep next to mum, or my sister, or Sigma.”

“I’m not a girl  _ or  _ a bird, dummy.” Egil sighs, but places a hand around Alvis. “We’ll have to work on you actually sleeping on the couch like you said you will in the future, okay?”

“Okay…” Alvis nuzzles up and lets out a happy sigh. “Goodnight, Egil.”

“Goodnight.”

\--

Alvis starts to show signs of really opening up around the time he turns thirteen and Egil, aged fifteen, is fine with that. Alvis actually speaking is nice -- no longer a ghost that curls up in his bed but instead an actual kid around his age.

Alvis sits against him, reading over his shoulder like he always does. Now, though, he has his own comments on Egil’s choice in reading material. He gives him a look, pinching his cheek from time to time and earning a chuckle. It’s nice, even if it can be a bit much at times.

He talks to Vanea more now, too, watching her and helping her around whenever he can. Egil jokes he’s sucking up, to which Alvis acts very affronted before breaking into a grin. 

He still hides his face under his hair, but Egil doesn’t mind that. If Alvis is happy around them, then he’s happy. He likes it when they all sit together, a movie on while Vanea brushes through Alvis’s hair. It feels comfy, like home should, and he hopes that Alvis feels the same.

\--

When Alvis shows up in the middle of the night, tears in his eyes, Egil can tell something is wrong. Just the other day the boy had turned sixteen, a smile on his face at his party, and now he was here.

He was holding his cockatiel in his arms, shaking as Sigma repeated phrases that usually cheered Alvis up. Egil can see that it’s not working this time, however, so he leads Alvis into the living room and sits him down.

“What happened?”

“They’re fighting. They’ve been fighting for years now.” His voice is terse and empty all at once. “I can’t do this anymore, Egil.”

Egil sighs and sits next to him. Miqol has mentioned recently that Doctor O’Brien plans on a divorce soon, but seeing Alvis like this makes him wish for one even sooner. All the fighting and constant abuse hurled their way by Klaus can’t be easy to handle.

Egil swears, if he could, he’d go over there and knock Klaus around a bit, see how he likes it. He’s not a child anymore, eighteen and ridiculously tall for his age everyone said. He’d like to see Klaus fight back against someone he’d not controlled all their life, someone bigger than him.

But for now, he rubs Alvis’s back, unsure of what to say. He’s not the best with words, so he doesn’t even try. He just stares off towards the silent room and listens to Sigma prattle on, clearly distressed by Alvis’s mood.

They stay like that for a while, no words passing between them.

“Why are they fighting this time?”

“My siblings are gone. They left… I thought about going too.” He’s mindlessly petting Sigma now. “But I couldn’t leave Mum with that monster.”

Egil nods, but says nothing. He wants to say it’ll be okay, but he has no clue how long that’ll take to be true. 

“I’ll be here, for her and you, you know.” The words escape before he can think.

“I know.” Alvis nods and leans against him. “Thank you…”

“Want to stay here for the night?”

“May I?”

“You know you’re always welcome here, Alvis.” Egil pauses for a moment. “Sigma too, of course.”

Alvis lets out a small laugh. “Well, good to know you won’t kick my bird out!”

“To be fair, I feel it’d bite me if I tried.”

“Well, you aren’t wrong. I may just order it to attack, even…”

“Alvis…”


End file.
